Reimplantable heart valve prosthesis

Abstract

A medical device used in cardiac surgery for replacement of diseased heart valves in humans. A heart valve prosthesis comprising a housing 1 having a projection 3 along its whole perimeter 2 , an occluder 4 which restricts the blood backflow (I), and a cuff 5 made of fabric and having a mounting surface 6 which comes into contact with cardiac tissues (II), and an outer surface 7 which comes into contact with the blood flow. Inside the cuff 5 are located a stent 8 forming an opening 9 for installation of the prosthesis housing 1 , a supporting element 10 and a retaining element 11 which fix the projection 3 of the housing 1 within the stent 8 of the cuff 5 forming a quick-dismountable junction of the housing 1 with the cuff 5.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A heart valve prosthesis comprising an annular housing having an outer perimeter and at least one projection along the outer perimeter, an occluder which restricts blood backflow, and a cuff made of a porous material, the cuff having a mounting surface which is configured to come into contact with cardiac tissue and an outer surface which comes into contact with blood flow, the cuff has an inside provided with a rigid stent forming an opening for installation of the annular housing of the prosthesis, and a supporting element and a retaining element which attach the cuff to said at least one projection, the supporting element comprises an annular projection on the stent located within a zone adjacent to the mounting surface of the cuff, and the retaining element comprises a ring defining an inner diameter and having two cams protruding above the outer surface of the cuff and a cut fully splitting the retaining element in a zone between the cams, wherein the inner diameter of the ring can become bigger and wherein the retaining element is located in the zone adjacent to the outer surface of the cuff, wherein the retaining element is configured to form a quick-dismountable junction of the annular housing with the cuff, and the retaining element is of varying width, and its minimum width is in the zone between the cams, while its maximum width is in the zone located at the diametrically opposite side of the retaining element for ensuring the preservation of a circular form of the retaining element during its expansion and facilitating the passage of the annular projection of the valve housing through it, and wherein slots are provided at opposite surfaces of the cams to place within them a fixing element in order to prevent a spontaneous change of the internal diameter of the retaining element. 
     
     
       2. A heart valve prosthesis according to  claim 1  wherein the retaining element is made of elastic bioinert material. 
     
     
       3. A heart valve prosthesis according to  claim 1  wherein protuberances are provided at the cam surfaces facing each other and defining the cut which forms a clearance sufficient for placement of an instrument's ends, and slots are provided at the cams.